DEMO
With the core gameplay now done, I have started work on a demo. I am hoping to release it in May 2025. The demo will have all the features and gamemodes of the full game - you will even be able to play online once that's implemented! However, you will only be able to play a limited number of times.
NEW PLANNED GAMEMODE
I recently realized that Battle-Lines would make a fine single-player game too. So I'm adding a Single-Player Mode. Instead of competing against others, you'd try to reach the score in a minimal number of moves. The AI could be used as a hint system.
Other gamemodes I'm experimenting with is to play with either larger pieces (up to 8 hexes), or smaller ones (2 hexes). The winning scores get adjusted, too. It sounds like a small change, but I found that it greatly impacts how complex the game is. Playing with small pieces is very relaxing, while the large pieces actually got a bit overwhelming for me...
There will also be an option for timed rounds.
I haven't started work on online play yet, but it will absolutely be in the game. In a strategy game, a good opponent is as important as good gameplay. Which brings us to:
AI OPPONENTS
I'm hard at work on the AI system, which is in an early stage right now. It's based on the fact that it is easy for a computer to calculate what happens when a move is made - and the number of possible moves is high by human standards, but low for computers.
So, the approach is simply to calculate everything, find the best move, and make non-optimal moves on lower difficulty. About five difficulty levels should do fine, I think. AI on higher levels will be more hostile as well!
PRICE
Under 10 euro, and a launch discount. In case you wanted to know. I haven't decided on the exact price yet.
MONTHLY DEV DIARIES FROM NOW ON
Until now, I hadn't realized this store page was getting traffic already. I assumed only a few people would randomly end up here, but it seems Steam has showed this page to over a thousand people already! I only realized this because a player contacted me on Discord to ask me a question.
So from now on, I will post monthly updates about the progress of the game, upcoming playtests, festivals, and all the other work going on behind the scenes.